Most people are good drivers. However, when it is raining, it seems that many good drivers don’t adjust their driving habits to their new surroundings. Here are some simple tips to help you drive safely during the rain.
Watch Ahead of You
It is always a good idea to keep your eye on the road, especially in rainy conditions. Make sure you keep a safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle you are behind. This will give you adequate time should you have to stop quickly.
Don’t Rubberneck
Car accidents happen, and for whatever reason, everyone who drives by an accident has a tendency to look and see what happened. Most traffic jams and subsequent accidents are due to ‘rubberneckers’ gawking at an accident and not paying attention to their surroundings. If you are approaching an accident, road work crews, or detour signs, pay attention to traffic and not to the distraction on the side of the road.
Don’t Be in A Hurry
Speeding isn’t safe in any conditions. Especially when it is more difficult to see far ahead of you or when the road is wet. If you are speeding and you drive over a slippery patch on the road, you risk losing control of your vehicle.
Avoid Using Cruise Control
Cruise control gives you the luxury of sitting more comfortably and lets you rest your foot off the gas pedal. However, in hazardous driving conditions, such as a rainy weather, cruise control could be the worst thing you could possibly do. Also, while driving you may run over what appear to be small puddles of water only to discover that they are much deeper and you will have to quickly adjust your driving to accommodate the resistance on the road.
Don’t Let Your Cell Phone Distract You
It’s easy to become distracted while driving, especially if you have kids playing with their toys, grooving to the music on the radio, thinking about work, or your ringing cell phone. Answering your cell phone takes your concentration off the road. No state completely bans all types of cell phone use (Handheld and hands-free) while driving.
However, California has enacted jurisdiction-wide cell phone laws prohibiting driving while talking on handheld cell phones. In addition, Washington and New Jersey are the only states to ban text messaging for all drivers, but other states are expected to follow suit.
Avoid the getting a ticket and don’t put yourself in a position to be distracted by a phone call. If you need to talk on the phone, be safe and pull over. Whether you are driving through a light rain shower or a downpour of rain, common sense and these basic suggestions will help you get to where you are going. Just be aware of the vehicles around you and don’t put yourself in danger because of a change in weather.
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